My Royal Nemesis topped ratings even against the finale of Perfect Crown.
In SBS' My Royal Nemesis, Lim Ji-yeon and Heo Nam-jun decorated the ending with a forceful embrace born of crossed misunderstandings, exploding a dizzying "agh!" of excitement.
In episode 4 of SBS's Friday-Saturday drama My Royal Nemesis (directed by Han Tae-seop / written by Kang Hyun-joo / produced by Studio S, Gil Pictures), which aired Saturday the 16th, Shin Seori (Lim Ji-yeon) and Cha Segye (Heo Nam-jun) stirred viewers as they portrayed a precarious shift in their relationship that swung between misunderstanding and sincerity. In particular, the ending featured Segye confirming his feelings for Seori by embracing her passionately, leaving a lingering "heart thump".
In episode 4, My Royal Nemesis recorded a peak rating of 7.8%, national 6.0%, Seoul metropolitan area 6.0%, and a 2049 peak of 3.17%. With each episode showing rising ratings and breaking its own records, it proved powerful word of mouth. (Nielsen Korea) In addition, following its achievement as the first SBS Friday-Saturday drama to reach No. 1 on Netflix's "Global Top 10 Non-English Shows" weekly chart (two-doom, May 10 benchmark), it also topped domestic TV show rankings, consecutively holding No. 1 on "Today's Korea TOP10 series" since its release (May 17 benchmark), emerging as the powerful whirlwind in just four episodes.
The episode began with Seori and Segye bickering over a management contract, drawing attention. Segye feigned a business mindset, saying, "I'll buy you at the lowest price just before delisting and sell you at the highest limit," but he worried about Seori's flushed cheeks and questioned himself about his impulsive acts of taking losses for her, asking, "Why did I make a reckless move that wasn't in the plan? Did I have a strange dream and break down?" Seori, misunderstanding all Segye's kindness as "idol fandom," pondered a return gift, producing laughter.
Meanwhile, Segye decided to sign Seori and even absorbed financial issues to pursue acquiring her agency. He raised the romance index by continuously worrying about Seori's remark that she lived in a windowless room. In the meantime, when Seori was summoned to the police station after accusing a home shopping assistant director of assault, Segye rushed over and played a strong support role. Seori, wanting to express gratitude, entrusted a stray dog she happened to meet on the street to Segye as a return gift. But Segye, who has animal allergies, could not bring himself to refuse Seori's request and continued to live with the stray dog, provoking laughs. At that time, it was revealed that Choi MUndo (Jang Seung-jo) had hired the assistant director to confirm that Seori was Segye's weakness, sending chills.
At the same time, Seori's full-on acting activities were teased, piquing interest. To learn 21st-century acting, Seori studied hard, binge-watching hit works such as Sandglass, The Age of Wild Men and Ladies of the Palace. When chief manager Gu (Park Jin-woo) asked if she even had fans, she replied, "Yes, the only person who worries about me is Segye," and attempted a return gift for Segye with a handwritten letter expressing thanks. Segye misread "my wonderful fan" in the letter as "my ally" and, thinking "this woman likes me," fell into a solo misunderstanding, sending viewers between comedy and romance and making them beam.
At the moment Seori visited her grandmother Nam Ok-soon (Kim Hae-sook), thugs who came to obtain the resort redevelopment signature burst in, heightening the crisis. Unfazed even before the hulking thugs, Seori declared, "I'll deal with you like Kim Du-han!" channeling the drama The Age of Wild Men and performed dazzling hand-to-hand action, delivering a thrilling catharsis.
Segye arrived in the nick of time and saved Seori, but then, conscious of his grandfather Cha Dal-soo (Yoon Joo-sang), denied his relationship with Seori and ended up hurting her. To make matters worse, MUndo visited and proposed that Seori get close to Segye by using the grandmother as a pretext. Seori felt déjà vu as she recalled how in the past An Jong (Jang Seung-jo) pressured her in Joseon to become the concubine of the great lord Lee Hyun (Heo Nam-jun). Feeling skepticism about being used as a tool without receiving or giving complete love, Seori burst into tears, leaving viewers heavy-hearted.
At the end of the broadcast, the mood reversed 180 degrees as Segye went to find Seori. Segye hinted at his apology, but Seori, thinking it was pity, choked up, saying, "Seeing me with those eyes, don't I keep misunderstanding things? I'm neither a fan nor an ally, so seeing me like this, don't you think you must be in love with me?" Disturbed, Segye confessed, "What if it's not a misunderstanding? I'm a believer in black-and-white logic. But you're neither one nor the other. You keep making people confused," revealing his tumultuous feelings and raising the romantic tension. Seori said, "Then I'll show you," placed her hand on Segye's chest, and, pretending not to notice his rapid heartbeat, Segye said, "If you're going to do it, do it properly," pulling Seori completely into his arms, sending viewers' heart rates soaring and exploding anticipation for the next episode.
Thus, in episode 4 of My Royal Nemesis, the initially hostile Shin Seori and Cha Segye were intriguingly depicted gradually melting into each other. Their crossed misunderstandings toward each other made viewers' hearts flutter, and beginning with Segye's denial of fandom to the blunt-hitting embrace, they delivered an electrifying, thrilling heart-throb. Attention is riveted on where Seori and Segye's precarious emotional line will head next.
On the same day, My Royal Nemesis faced the strong competitor Perfect Crown's finale on MBC but showed an increase rather than a drop in ratings. Starting at 4.1% in episode 1 and steadily rising, episode 4 recorded 6.0%, a jump of 1.9 percentage points. As the chemistry and romance between Lim Ji-yeon and Heo Nam-jun explode, ratings are rising alongside them.
Above all, despite Perfect Crown, starring IU and Byeon Woo-seok, ending with a high rating of over 13%, My Royal Nemesis has drawn attention by not taking a major hit and showing rising ratings each episode. It also ranked No. 1 globally in Netflix's non-English category, making future trends even more anticipated.
[Photo] SBS' My Royal Nemesis
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